"Sup~ how much for this kebab?"
I took 3 sticks of the impaled meat and waved them in front of the vendor. He was about to dismiss me as a normal customer and temporarily increase the price, but when he saw Gae Bolg leaning by my shoulders, he went pale and gulped, he held out 5 fingers and I smiled to reciprocate his honesty while fishing around in my pockets.
"Uhh, here 15 coins, I'll take 3"
I continued on my way and ate the kebab leisurely, well, as leisurely as I could while ignoring the mixed eyes of fear and greed between every person I walked by.
After finishing the food and licking my lips, I stopped in front of a shop, or rather it's more accurate to call it the infamous pleasure house.
"Today is my holiday, and enjoy myself, I shall!"
It's been a week since I've become an official dog. And today, finally, is my true holiday. No blonde spendthrift to make me carry shit, no going around places and kicking stuff up before telling them to either find a strong backing or lose business, and most importantly, no annoying agents trying everyday to get my spear. Bliss at it's finest.
I went inside the pleasure house without further ado in hopes that my mind and body can relax with the comfort of another, it's nothing new, I've slept with women back in then days and even worse was the fact that I was drunk whenever I did...
Sudden flashes of memories invaded my thoughts, a man who claims to be unbeatable, the king claiming me to be the only one capable of beating him, and then killing my own...flesh and blood with—
I tightened my grip on Gae Bolg, and shook my head, the past should stay in the past lest they successfully ruin the future. I slowly approached the counter where a man with a particularly weird hair style greeted me, he had black hair with a purple out of place streak for his bangs.
"Ah~ The Hound visits my humble business? Perhaps you're on a holiday? Or... you're not here to 'sort' my shop are you?"
I smirked and shook my head before leaning on the wooden counter, he seems to have relaxed with that. I forgot to mention it but, when I said official, I really mean being known throughout the businesses of The Empire as the hound, a reaper who signifies that you need to sign a unfair partnership with a certain household so you can at least keep 30% of your earnings.
"Very well then. I assume you're looking for a high quality time then? It'd be expensive but worth the pleasure, oh I assure very much so~"
I dropped a bag of coins in front of him, and his smile slowly grew larger, he probably thinks that me being here is also technically me making him an exception when the hound 'sorts' once again.
Heh, I ain't no cheap doggie that'll make a sheep special just cause he let me sleep in his side of the farm, once blondie circles your business, you better sign that damn contract.
"Now then, Mr. Hound, please follow that hallway and go follow the signs along the way, here's the key for your room, have a fun time~"
I snorted and did so, along the way I observed the place and noted the very...what was it... Japanese-ish feel of the place?
"Neat place"
I was already in the middle of loosening my pants when the scent of drugs assaulted my poor nose just in front of my specified room.
"They drugged their girls? Really?"
My little Cu went limp after that, ignoring my growing sexual frustration, I slid the wooden paper covered door open and entered the room.
"Disgusting..."
Were the only words I could muster, mainly because I was in a state where I was contemplating on using Gae Bolg to blast this entire brothel to kingdom come and because I really, REALLY, wanted to stick it somewhere...ah crap.
"Aphrodisiacs? No wonder why"
I sighed a tired one and went near the closest girl, she was laying down in the floor with a flushed face, she smelt of berries and her hair was somehow ironically the color of orange. I knelt beside her and placed two fingers near her spot, one of the main effects of stronger aphrodisiacs among females were to forcefully lower 'that', making someone more susceptible to pregnancy, males however gain increased white making speed, but much to my abilities, I could use Disengage right now and remove the drug on me, even more I can just rune myself to normality.
But fuck it amirite? I just hope the effect doesn't last until the end of the day, Aria can get a little close when we're alone, probably her being lonely with the death of her parents or just her getting those hormones active.
"Anyways, who wants to go first?"
*
Terrifying. Both the place and the girls. I expected to handle 1 or 2 courtesans, but after my 2nd one, 8 more showed up and little Cu wasn't finished so I gave in...
But then 10 more came and the pun was intentional, in the end, I had a newfound respect for Heracles. Sleeping with so many women was no joke especially if you're forced to, or well, not in my case but pretty similar.
I walked towards an alleyway with a slight slouch on me and a bit of limping while using my spear as a cane because my dick was so sore it hurts and my hips and back were used so much I had a permanent slouch, in fact I don't think I could even feel my inner thighs...
"Hey, I want to join the imperial police"
A very familiar voice came out from an alleyway I was just about to pass by, I ignored my unimportant pains and quickly jumped up to the roof and making my way to get a front seat viewing of something interesting.
Below me, in the center of an alleyway, two figures were present, one was, if my information is correct, the captain of the Imperial Police, Ogre and if my familiarity was correct too, then it was Tatsumi.
"A brat like you? Hmph, don't waste my time, you'll die faster than a rat"
Ogre turned around after berating Tatsumi-
'Hoh? How unhonourable and sneaky, when'd the kid learn to attack from behind? Sheesh, my teach would've smack him empty if she was there'
Tatsumi took the chance and charged towards the unaware Ogre...or so he thought but Ogre wasn't a captain for show I guess, he quickly reacted by drawing his sword while turning around, but Tatsumi won the first blood regardless.
The sudden pain got Ogre alarmed but the two quickly locked blades once more, the sounds of clashing steel was drowned by the louder night life, add the fact that this was an abandoned alleyway.
While I certainly impressed, barely, by Ogre the Demon, Tatsumi was way~ way~ more impressive, he was young yet he can keep up with the guy.
'I guess he wasn't blowing empty brags when he said he was a skilled swordsman'
The two fought in a hurried pace, or no it was Tatsumi who was growing impatient leading him to a bait that Ogre skillfully used to push back the nimble Tatsumi and did a downward slash only to be barely blocked by Tatsumi's flat side, the ground caved in due to 2 superhuman forces but for some weird reason, aside from impatience, Tatsumi was... unmotivated?
'What fucking bullshit was that? Why is he unmotivated?!'
I had the urge to just go down there and stab the boy for disrespecting his opponent by being unmotivated but the 2 started conversing.
...
Apparently, Tatsumi's client was known by the Ogre and he threatened to kill them, horribly.
Suddenly the area was flooded by an all nostalgic aura.
And then my mouth donned the infamous feral grin.
Tatsumi's bloodlust grew. It erupted, the previous hesitation was thrown out the window and his power shot up managing to push back the hulking Ogre.
"AHHHHH!"
The kid has potential, but sadly, Ogre was a potential ally for my employer and thus-
I threw my spear that was conveniently already being gripped in a manner fit for hurling and just like it was predicted, my spear shot past and blocked Tatsumi's final strike to the neck, implanting itself to the ground in between the 2 confused fighters.
I jumped down and landed near my spear grabbing it by the center, I pulled it out of the ground making bits of stone fly as I pointed it to Tatsumi.
"S-Setanta?!...YOU! YOU LET THAT BITCH LIVE!"
Ah, I forgot he's pissed at me for protecting my then future employer huh?
Tatsumi, along with the delicious bloodlust he had, charged at me with rage. I pushed back the dazed and confused Ogre and forced him to sit down on his butt twirling my spear to meet Tatsumi's sword with the blunt tip of my spear.
"AHHHH!"
He kept slashing at me with very impressive speed, he sometimes slashed a little too fast that it seemed like 2 swords came from different directions but alas.
A spear was always an advantage.
Considering the tight area, I only had the liberty to twirl Gae Bolg frontward and backward, but it was enough to block a single plain sword, the sounds of steel clashing soon died down from Tatsumi's side as his sword broke down, well, it was expected but I took the chance and slammed the flat side of my spear to his right temple and used the other blunt tip to hit him in left temple, the 2 hits done fast enough that it appeared to be two blood red horns ramming into Tatsumi's head making him stumble back while the white of his eyes completely came out signifying his loss.
Or so it was supposed to be but just as he was about to fall down, he took a solid balancing back step and crouched to grab the dropped sword of Ogre and performed a limit breaking upward diagonal slash...
That actually scratched me in the cheek.
The boy avoided falling and stood up resolutely, his arms quivering like a boxer who just got up from a knock out and his legs were wobbly.
"S-S-Sayu...Ley-Leyasu..."
He breathed out puffs of air, clearly exhausted. Memories from long ago came back to hunt me.
Me, waking up to find a dreadful silence as I realized that I slept during the 1 versus 1 war. Me, breaking down the door to see the corpses of many young warriors who fought for me as I rested. Me...me...I...
I shook my head and pointed my spear at Tatsumi's heart, he gripped the sword like a lifeline while I continued staring at him, an image of a young boy overlapping with his.
"Damn it. I'm so fucking soft"
I lowered my spear while looking at him who was occasionally about to drop down, I sighed and turned around while looking at the now conscious Ogre in the floor.
"Y-You! Don't..."
I gave him a snort before kicking him in the head, perfectly hitting him straight in the chin making him fly up and flip backwards and landing with a loud thud, suddenly a bright excus- I mean idea came to mind.
I gave the boy a challenging smile and pointed the tip of my spear at his forehead.
"I'll give you 3 chances, 3 lives, each time you meet me, I'll let you live regardless of what you do"
I continued walking towards the body of Ogre, but before I completely decided on what to do with his bleeding body, I finished my words.
"But once that chance has gone by, you better make sure you're strong enough to survive against me or you'll die pathetically"
*
I laid Ogre by his back on a wall, gave a glance towards Tatsumi full of hatred and back to me with contempt.
"Still, I can't believe the hound of all things would save my ass..."
I looked at the man with crippled eyes and remembered the conversation he had with Tatsumi before.
A police who arrests innocent people from bribes huh? Why is it that every evil I encounter is something AGAINST my beliefs?
I looked at the man again who was now eyeing my spear, who despite having one eye was still full of greed.
And then a totally plausible reward for the hardworking boy was thought up by none other than me.
"So, hey could you...err... sign this?"
I took a contract paper, one that was created by my employer and signing this means 50% of your earnings go to her and then 20% more go to your 'neutral' party which is me...who still works for her so it's still all hers.
"A contract?...What?! This is bullshit, who's the neutral party?!"
"That's the emperor of course"
I lied. He won't know anyways.
"Is this my payment for saving me? Hmph, mah, it's only 50% anyways, I can just...never mind how do I sign this?"
He had a cunning grin on his face and I tried my best not to laugh at him.
If you're smart, then Aria was smarter if you give her the chance. She can pull the rags right under someone without lifting an arm...
"Sign it with your blood"
"Tsk, barbaric"
He did so anyways.
"Now then...get me outta her and kill the boy while you're at it!"
He struggled to get up and used the wall as his leaning post while slowly and painfully walking towards somewhere.
"Oh but you see... the hound is on a holiday"
My grin grew larger and my spear was now just right at his neck.
"W-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
"I'm currently here as Cu Chulainn, and Cu Chulainn wants to reward the boy somehow for skillfully beating you up and eventually killing you without help, but my employer wants a contract with you so I had to save you, plus Cu Chulainn's indirectly a good guy"
His face started contorting and he did his very best to run away, I glanced at Tatsumi who was laying on the cold ground and after a quick sigh, decapitated Ogre the Demon.
"Yorokobe shounen. Your reward, is your target's head...I feel kinda disgusted saying that"
I threw the head next to Tatsumi along with the body and walked out of the place while yawning.
"Oh, I forgot to mention but, when you die, everything you own is transferred to the other contractor, cruel thing huh? This empire is something else huh?"
...
Ah, my dick hurts... fucking brothel, pun unintended.